Mine Plan

Source file: mine-plan.htm

Mine Plan is a menu of tools that allows users to visually compare actual and designed schedules, query and examine schedule performance, and use this information to develop new scheduling strategies using the following:

Viewer	Visualise current or past truck movements and their compliance to the design schedule.
Editor	Query, create, or manage schedules and examine productivity against the overall plan on a chart. You can also export your data to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
Blend Plan Calculator	Formulate and test mine plans to create accurate schedules.

Mine Plan - Viewer

The mine plan viewer allows you to visualise the scheduled movement of material according to its source and destination. This information is arranged in a table that also includes the Mass Moved, Scheduled Mass Movement, and % Completed.

A source and destination are defined as zones where scheduled activities occur.

• Hover over a row in the table to reveal attached schedules, as illustrated.

  

Movements are displayed as source-to-destination arrows. To help identify different movements, colour indicators are used. The same colour tags are used in the list to help identify the listed items with the viewer items. A wider arrow overlaying the movement indicates the following:

• Compliance with the schedule using a colour spectrum where green is on schedule and colours changing towards the red are increasingly behind schedule.

• The degree of completion is indicated by the arrow's position. The closer the arrow is to the destination, the closer the movement to completion.

  

  Tip:  If you don’t see any movement arrows in the viewer, enable the Show Arrows toggle in the Settings drop-down.

Selecting data in Mine Plan - Editor

Information in the mine plan editor table can be searched, filtered and organised to provide the required data.

• Use Search Name to find any value displayed in the table. The results are updated as you type.

• Select Historical Mode or Latest Mode from the drop-down. When historical mode is selected, use the time picker to select the period of interest.

• Click to open the Mine Plan - Editor page. Use this to interactively add, alter, or remove plans from this page. To learn more about the mine editor, see Mine Plan > Mine Plan - Editor.

• Open the Filters drop-down to further refine what is displayed in the view.

Performing tasks in Mine Plan - Viewer

Use the mouse to identify movements in the table or in the viewer.

• Hover over the listed item in the table to highlight its arrow in the viewer. If the label is hidden, it will be displayed.

  Tip:  If you prefer labels to be constantly displayed, open (Settings) then open the Plan Vs Actual Viewer drop-down and enable Show Labels.

• Click on a row in the table. This will centre the source zone or location of the movement in the viewer.

• Hover over an arrow in the viewer to highlight the matching listed item in the movements list.

Mine Plan - Editor

The Mine Plan - Editor displays information about scheduled items and related statistics in a customised table. They are compared in a chart comparing Actual to Plan tonnage over a given period, such as a shift or user-defined selection.

The mine plan editor allows schedules to be changed for users with applicable roles or new schedules created to meet operational needs.

• Use the Time drop-down to select the period of time containing the required schedules.

• Use the Schedule drop-down to select which shifts within the period of time to include.

• Select which columns to display using the drop-down.

  Any of the following columns (except Schedule) can be selected, as illustrated:

  Schedule

  Start

  End

  Source

  Destination

  Truck Name

  Digger Name

  Mass

• Change the sort order of any row by clicking its header. The sort order is also preserved when exporting your data.

The chart will be plotted, which is continuously updated as you filter your data.

Viewing the chart

The mine plan chart plots tonnage against time using the currently selected period and included schedules (Actual), and a slope representing the planned schedule (Plan).

• Use the checkboxes in the table to select specific schedules to display in the chart.

• Hover over a plot to see a tooltip showing the time and accumulated tonnage for that trip.

  

Creating and modifying schedules

The mine plan editor allows you to create, modify, or delete schedules as required. A schedule created in Mine Plan - Editor is called local and listed in the table as such.

• Create a new schedule by clicking . When the schedule dialog opens, select the time, then enter the required information in the Schedule dialog and click .

  Click here to view the Schedule dialog entries.

  Time	The period over which the schedule occurs. Use the drop-down to select a time period or use the calendar picker to select a custom Date and Time. Click to close the calendar picker.
  Source category	The type of feature containing the source material, such as a pit or stockpile. Use the drop-down to make a selection.
  Source	The place from where the source material comes, such as a specific stockpile. Use the drop-down to make a selection.
  Destination category	The type of feature where the material is scheduled to be moved to, such as a waste dump or sink. Use the drop-down to make a selection.
  Destination	The place where the scheduled material movement terminates, such as a specific crusher or dump location. Use the drop-down to make a selection.
  Mass	The tonnage of material to be moved. Enter a value in this field.

• To modify or delete schedules, click next to the schedule you want to select in the Action column, then do one of the following:

  • Select Edit to open the Schedule dialog and make the required changes. This opens the same dialog used for adding a schedule.

  • Select Delete() to remove selected schedules. Selected items will be deleted with no further prompting.

Exporting your data to Excel

When you have selected the data to include, click to export the file to your computer as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, as used in the following example:

Blend Plan Calculator

The blend plan calculator allows you to create target feed objectives based on a set of material properties. After configuring your blend target, you can allocate material sources to satisfy the configured requirements for the plan.

You can create multiple blend plans for each blend target, enabling you to compare outcomes and develop a schedule that meets your production objectives. After a blend plan is saved you can upload it as a new local schedule.

Creating a blend target

Creating a blend target is the first stage in creating a blend plan. During this stage, you are defining the material properties that are required. To create your blend target, follow these steps:

1. Select the Target tab.

2. Enter the blend target name into the Blend target text field.

3. Click the button to open the properties editor.

4. Use the Property drop-down to select your first property.

5. Enter the Acceptable Value Ranges for that property. To do this, click to set your From and To value ranges. Repeat this step to add more value ranges.

6. Repeat step 5 to enter values for Marginal Value Ranges and Unacceptable Value Ranges.

7. Repeat steps 3 - 8 for each property you wish to add to your blend target.

8. Click to save your changes.

Blend plans

A blend plan is where you select which sources are used to fulfil your blend target. You can view statistics from individual sources as well as combined sources. You can also experiment by changing which sources you use (such as stockpiles, zones, and polygons) and observing the results. Also, create and save multiple blend plans, then select from various contingencies to include as a local schedule. The following sections will guide you through the blend plan process.

Managing blend plan targets

The buttons below perform the following operations:

Blend target selection	Open the drop-down and select an existing blend target.
Add new	Add new blend plan targets. For more information, follow the steps in Creating a blend target.
Save	Save a new blend target. If you are working on an existing blend target, a dialog with the message “This will overwrite the current target. Are you sure?”: Select either: No, Save as New (you will be prompted to enter a new name). Yes, Save and Overwrite (your existing blend target will be updated).
Save as new	Save an open blend target as a new one. This button is only available when you have opened an existing blend target.
Delete	Remove your blend target from the list. A confirmation dialog appears before that item is deleted.
Schedule blend plan (Plan tab)	Add your blend plan as a local schedule. To see this button, select a plan from the Blend Plan drop-down.
Displaying x float properties	Open this drop-down to select other existing source properties. You will need to assign value ranges as described in Creating a blend plan. Note:  <x> is the number of selected properties displayed in the drop-down.

Creating a blend plan

To create a new blend plan, select the Plan tab, then do the following:

1. Select the blend target you want to add the blend plan to. If you haven’t created a blend target, follow the steps for Creating a blend target.

2. Select the Plan tab to open its panel.

3. Enter the name of your blend plan in the Blend plan field and click to save your changes.

4. From the Selected Sources section, click and select one of the following:

   • Manual: Enter the name of the source (the default name is Manual), mass, and property values in each column field.

   • Polygon: Create a polygon in the viewer over the source area. Material within your polygon is included in your plan.

   • Stockpile: Click on a stockpile in the viewer to select it. Material within the stockpile is included in your plan.

   • Zone: Click on a zone in the viewer to select it. Material within the zone is included in your plan.

5. Click to save your blend plan.

After creating your blend plan, your blend plan sources are listed in the Selected Sources section. You may now do any of the following:

• Add additional sources, using in step 4.
• Select or deselect sources by clicking on the row or, on its checkbox.
• Delete a source selection using the button.

Using Combined Sources to set your blend plan

After adding sources to your blend plan, review the information in the Combined Sources section. In here, do the following:

1. View the Combined Sources tonnage as a single bar graph, and material properties allocated to your plan.

2. Include or exclude materials from your selected sources as required.

3. Set the Mass target by entering values in the Min and Max fields.

You may also do the following in the combined sources section:

• View material sources as gauges or histograms by selecting or respectively.
• Select which sources to display using the Displaying x float properties drop-down list.

Tip:  Click to save your blend plan when satisfied with your settings. The current blend plan can be overwritten, or it can be saved as a new blend plan.

Adding a blend plan to a schedule

A local blend plan is one that is created by a user and annexed to existing schedules, similar to the Mine Plan Editor. The plans are labelled as "Local" when listed. To schedule a blend plan, do the following:

1. Select the blend plan from the Blend plan drop-down list.

2. Click to open the Schedule dialog box.

3. In the Time field, select the time or shift to add your schedule to. You can use the drop-down to select a preset entry, or create a custom time using the calendar picker.

4. In the Destination category field, select the destination type from the drop-down list.

5. In the Destination field, select the destination from the drop-down list.

6. Click on the button to close the dialog box. Your local schedule is added to the mine plan.

Reviewing the remaining material

When a blend plan has been created, you can review what remains at all sources. This is shown in the Remaining Material section. To determine the remaining material from your currently selected sources, or from any other additional sources, use the Zones drop-down list.

Select any additional sources that you wish to include using the checkboxes. The chosen sources are listed in the Selections column. The remaining material is shown under the Mass column.

Note:  Sources that you selected to create your blend plan are automatically selected and appear greyed-out in the drop-down list. They cannot be deselected.

You can also list sources by the stockpiles within the zones used in your blend plan, and your additional sources. To enable this, click on the Show by stockpile checkbox. Those stockpiles are added to the list.

Tip:  By adding additional sources, you can quickly determine which sources can be used to produce suitable blend plans.